JVC Kenwood is going to release new Bluetooth speaker "SP-ABT1" in mid-March for about ¥11,550.

SP-ABT1 supports Bluetooth 3.0 (SBC/AAC/MP3 codec, and A2DP/AVRCP profile). The maximum communication distance is 10m. It also supports NFC, making a very easy connection to other devices. It has 2 40mm full-range speakers and 97x30mm passive radiator so that the compact-sized SP-ABT1 can make powerful sounds.

AkihabaraNews on YouTubeThe weekly roundup of our new, original tech videos from here in Tokyo and all over Japan, plus favorites from our partners and the best clips from the past week's posts - subscribe and automate!

Samsung's new Tizen OS-powered wristwatch-style smart device Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo were unveiled at MWC 2014 (Mobile World Congress 2014), in Barcelona, Spain. They are due to be released around the world this coming April. The release timing in Japan is TBD.

Both devices have a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display (320x320). They can work with Samsung smartphones so emails, phone calls, SNS messages and so on will be noticed on the display of Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo.

Terrie’s Take is a selection of Japan-centric news collected and collated by long-time resident and media business professional Terrie Lloyd. AkihabaraNews is pleased to present Terrie’s learned perspective; we all could use another take on the news - here’s Terrie’s:

Sony announced that it is planning to sell Xperia M2 for less than €220 (About ¥30,000, $300) although they haven't revealed which carriers in which countries will release it. It has a 4.8-inch display and a camera with 8.1MP CMOS sensor Exmor RS for mobile, and it is compatible with LTE network and NFC function.

Panasonic is going to release 2 new models of their business-oriented tablet TOUGHPAD. The Windows 8 embedded handheld model "FZ-E1" will be out in mid-June and the Android model "FZ-X1" will be out in late August.

They feature a highly sensitive touch panel that enables full control even while wearing gloves and allows proper operations even when wet.